


Green and Red

by Fire_Cat



Category: Septiplier - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Exchange students, Fluff, Ireland, M/M, School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 20:11:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7859500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Cat/pseuds/Fire_Cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark is an exchange student, a very long way from home. He knew the year would be tough, a new school, new people, in a country he'd only been too once before. He hoped he'd make friends, but he never expected to fall in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Green for Ireland

**Author's Note:**

> My first stab at a Septiplier fic. Cos I've wanted to for a while and have been putting it off ^^' I know Teen AUs have been done a million times before. But it's fun. And I know that school-age AUs with these guys usually take place in the US, but I have literally no idea how American schools work. So they're in Ireland instead ^^; Since Irish schools work the same as English schools and that's what I know, so yeah.
> 
> I dunno, enjoy I guess ^^;

"Seán McLoughlin." Said the teacher, going through the names written on the register. "Seán?" He said again, looking up from his laptop. "Where is he?"

"It's the first day, he's probably late." Said one of the students at the back of the class.

Suddenly, the door shot open, and a young man came stumbling through it. His toxic green hair slightly damp from the light drizzle outside. "I'm here!" He shouted as he stood up straight. "Am I late?" He added, looking across the room at the teacher, ignoring all the other eyes watching him.

One of those pairs of eyes belonged to a young American man, sitting quietly by the window. The only other person he knew in this class, a Swedish man named Felix, sat to his right. He watched the Irish teen who had just burst into the room, his blue eyes sparkling under the bright classroom lights, an innocent grin on his face, standing there almost as if he was oblivious to the disruption he'd caused. He was handsome, if not a bit scrawny.

"Yes, yes you are." The teacher frowned. "Find a seat and sit down, Seán. I'll let you off this time, but not again, understood?"

"Yeah, sure." Seán smiled, scanning the room for an empty seat. The class was almost full, aside from the seat to the left of the American. He walked over to it and put his bag down on the floor before sitting down. He looked across at the teen beside him, who hadn't realised that he was staring. "Hey, you all right there, dude?"

The American blinked. "Huh? Oh shit man, sorry.." He smiled shyly, looking away.

Seán chuckled. "Don't be sorry man, 's all right. Hey, you're American, right?"

"I am, yeah. Name's Mark." Mark smiled, looking back at the Irishman.

"Awesome! M' names Seán but everyone calls me Jack. Well, everyone 'cept the teachers." 'Jack' grinned, eyes still shimmering.

Mark chuckled. "Nice to meet you Jack."

"And I'm Felix." Said the Swede, leaning over the desk. "Yo."

"Cool, nice t' meet the two of ya." Jack smiled. "I like ya hair Mark." Jack said, looking at the tuft of red hair atop Mark's head.

"Thanks." Mark smiled, ruffling his hair. "Yours is pretty neat too." He smiled, glancing at Jack's green hair.

"Green for Ireland, mate." Jack grinned, running a hand through his hair. "Red for America? Hey Felix, you're from Sweden right? You sound Swedish, what colour is the Swedish flag?" Jack asked, his goofy smile never seeming to leave his face.

"I am from Sweden yes, and the flag is blue with a yellow cross." Said Felix. "But my hair's already blonde. So I'm good thanks, bro. Not dying my hair." He chuckled.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes. Very Swedish." Jack laughed. Felix just rolled his eyes.

"All right everyone, quiet down." Said the teacher, grabbing the classes attention back before he started talking.

" _Dare I ask why you were late?_ " Mark whispered, leaning closer to Jack.

" _My fuckin' brothers, man._ " Jack scowled, his voice low.

" _Brother s?_" Mark asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

" _Aye, I've got two brothers and two sisters. I'm the youngest of five and it's an absolute nightmare!_ " Jack said quickly, voice still quiet but oddly aggressive.

" _Wow and I thought one older brother was bad._ " Mark chuckled.

" _You have no fuckin' idea._ " Jack muttered, a smile tugging at his lips as he looked back at Mark.

"Mister McLoughlin, Mister Fischbach, please be quiet." Said the teacher firmly, the whole class looked across at the bright haired duo. Making them snigger to each other before muttering apologies and falling silent.

* * *

"Just admit it Mark, you're crushing real hard on that guy." Said Felix that evening as they sat in their bedroom. They were staying with the same family whilst they were studying in Ireland, and had met about a week ago when Felix had arrived. They got along quite well, shared a lot of similar interests. Mostly gaming.

"What? Who?" Mark said, not looking away from his DS, he had a feeling he knew who Felix was talking about.

"The little Irish boy." Felix smirked.

"Felix. They're all Irish. This is Ireland." Mark said bluntly, looking up from his game.

"Oh you know who I mean. Little Jackaboy with his cheeky grin and green hair."

"Jack? What-No! I mean, he's a nice guy but, no, Felix. No.." Mark said quickly, looking back at the system in his hands. Hoping to hide the blush creeping across his face as his cheeks started to burn.

"Don't lie to me, bro. You totally do, you hardly stopped staring at 'im for the entire lesson. You were entranced. Love-struck, even." Felix grinned. "And you're blushing." He added.

"I don't have a crush on him. He's a nice guy, he's funny, but I'm not 'love-struck'. Honestly Felix, fuck sake." Mark scowled. "And even if I did, he's probably not gay, or bi, or whatever, so what'd be the point?"

"You never know unless you ask." Felix smiled, laying back on his bed and switching his DS on.

"I barely know him!" Mark almost yelled.

"I didn't say rush to his house and proclaim your love for him! Just something to think about, y'know." Felix said smoothly.

"Fuck off, Felix." Mark grumbled, leaning back against the wall and focusing on his game again.

Felix chuckled. "Aw come on Mark. I'm only messin' with ya, bro."

Mark just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Are you gonna play Pokèmon with me or not?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah yeah let the bloody game load." Felix said, tapping the screen with his stylus as if to make a point.

Mark sighed, deciding not to say anything. He didn't really want to dig himself into too deep a hole.

He couldn't deny that Jack was handsome. His toxic green hair seemed to light up his sky-blue eyes, which almost appeared to twinkle in the light. His accent was lovely, though perhaps a little different from the other Irish kids, maybe he was from a different part of Ireland. His smile was goofy but charming and he was charismatic and funny and just generally seemed like a really nice person.

Damn.. Maybe Felix was right, maybe he really was falling in love with the guy..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo what do you think? This was quite good fun to write actually. I can't wait to write more! This was fun. Nice to work with some new characters!
> 
> In case you're wondering. They're in Year 12, no idea what that is in American schools, but they're 16/17 years old. Well, all of them are 16 here since this is September, and they wouldn't have had their 17th birthdays yet. But yeah, just in case you wanted to know.


	2. The Arcade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the support I've received on this so far! I'm so glad you're enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it. This chapter's a little bit longer than the last. But I'm pretty happy with it, and I hope you enjoy it :)

"How you liking Ireland?" Jack asked one afternoon as they walked home. A month had passed since they'd met, and they'd become good friends in that time.

"Weather could be better." Mark grumbled, tugging at his hood for the umpteenth time, the wind and rain constantly pushing it back off of his head. It was October now, the temperature was gradually dropping and rain was becoming more frequent than usual. Felix also wouldn't shut up about how his birthday was in a fortnight. And Jack and Mark now had the twenty-forth of October engraved into their brains.

"You get used to it." Jack shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the rough weather. "It's crappy now, but once summer rolls around it'll be better. Hopefully."

"Assuming he survives the winter." Felix smiled. "How cold does it get in Ohio?"

"Ooo, ten degrees, if you're lucky." Said Mark.

"So kinda chilly." Jack shrugged. "That's not so bad."

"Fahrenheit, Jack. Not Celsius." Mark smiled.

"Oh. Ur. Translation?"

"I'm gonna take a guess and say at least minus ten degrees Celsius." Felix shrugged. "Maybe less?"

"Fuck that's freezing!" Jack exclaimed. "Bet you get lots of snow huh."

"Too much. But it's cleared away pretty quick. 's not too much of a bother. Usually.." Mark said.

"See, the UK and Ireland just kinda grinds t' a halt when there's snow. We don't get it much and dunno what to do with it." Jack chuckled. "It'll probably be really dry and windy though, which makes it just as bad. Or like this, but colder. Much colder. Felix'll be all right though. Sweden's no better, right."

"It's a different kind of cold, Jack. It's a different kind of cold." Felix said smoothly.

"Huh.. All right then." Jack shrugged. "Hey! I've got some spare Euros in my wallet, you guys wanna go down to the arcade with me for an hour or two?" He grinned, changing the subject, his blue eyes brightening at the prospect of playing games with his friends.

"I'd love too bro, but I've got homework due for tomorrow morning and if I don't do it I'll be in serious shit." Felix said, looking more annoyed than anything.

"Ah man. Ok. Mark?" Jack said, smiling as he turned to face the American.

Mark stared at Jack through his rain splattered glasses for a few seconds before smiling, "Sure." he said. "Sounds fun. I think I've got some money with me."

"Awesome!" Jack grinned, almost jumping with glee. "I'll have to take ya down there sometime too, Felix. It's pretty neat."

Felix chuckled. "I'm up for it whenever we've got the time. But I don't really want my Maths teacher to get pissy with me.. Again.."

Mark thought for a moment. He and Felix had the same Math teacher. And they hadn't been set any homework.. He gave the Swede a confused look, and Felix winked at him, gesturing at Jack with his head. The Irishman was walking slightly ahead, completely oblivious to what was going on behind him.

_Fuck you, Felix._ Mark mouthed, his cheeks burning, making Felix snigger. Jack was still oblivious.

* * *

The trio split a little way down the road. Felix headed home on the false premises of doing last-minute school work, leaving Jack to guide Mark towards the arcade. Mark was annoyed at Felix's little plan, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

He would still deny it whenever Felix, or anyone, for that matter, brought it up. But Mark had come to terms with the fact that he most certainly did have a bit of a crush on Jack. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do with that information. But he had it none the less.

After about fifteen minutes of walking and talking about all sorts of things - and Mark almost walking into a lamppost as he texted his brother - they arrived at the arcade and went inside.

It didn't look that big on the outside, but it seemed to stretch quite far back once they'd walked through the doors. It was a bit dark, mostly lit by the bright coloured lights across the ceiling and coming from the machines. It wasn't too busy, most schools hadn't closed yet, and the only reason Mark and Jack were there so early was because they didn't have any more lessons today, but the hum of chatter and clatter of the machines being used still buzzed in the air.

Glad to be out of the rain, Mark pulled his hood down, ruffling his red hair to get some of the water out as Jack rummaged through his bag for his wallet.

Jack eventually pulled a slightly battered looking wallet from one of the side pockets of his backpack. The Irish tricolour emblazoned across it. He pulled a five Euro note from it, and shook it, making the coins inside clink together.

"Let's go play some games!" He beamed, heading towards a change machine by the doors, Mark trailing behind, a smile stuck on his face.

And play some games is exactly what they did. Making their way across the arcade and putting a few coins into anything that looked even remotely entertaining. Gradually collecting a small hoard of prize tickets as they went.

They played a couple of games of air hockey on one of several tables that littered the place. Jack won the first game, Mark won the second. The tie breaker was incredibly close, both making it to six points before Jack shot the puck past Mark and scored a seventh point, claiming the victory for himself. Leaping into the air with an almighty cheer as the plastic disc slipped past Mark's defence and into the slot, dropping into the machine with a clatter and sealing the deal.

Jack managed to drag Mark onto one of the dancing games, which they both failed miserably at at first, Mark almost tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his face several times. Jack quickly got the hang of it though. And ended up playing another two games by himself, Mark watching from the side and purposefully trying to put him off, though with little success. They gathered another fifty or so tickets from that game. They would have played it more if Mark wasn't useless and Jack wasn't exhausted.

They played racing games, shooting games, ball games, had a go on the roller coaster simulator - which Jack had loudly proclaimed wasn't there the last time he'd come - and had a good laugh afterwards. They found the claw machines and went along the rows and rows of them looking for something interesting. And then proceeded to become far too determined on getting it, despite knowing that the damn things were rigged.

Jack did manage to grab a little toy dog, which he happily gave to a blushing Mark.

Over the course of nearly three hours, they made their way through Jack's money, and then through Mark's, and collected almost one thousand tickets between them. Before finally deciding that they sound probably think about heading home, especially when Jack received three consecutive texts from various members of his family asking where he was.

They wandered over to the prize stand. And spent another ten minutes figuring out what to get. As usual with these places, the so-called 'prizes' were kinda crappy. But they still left with another pair of tiny toy animals. Jack affectionately named his Sam, and Mark named his Tim, and the little dog he'd gotten earlier became Chica. He felt a little odd, naming toys at the age of sixteen, but Jack looked so happy that he didn't really care.

By the time they started walking home it had already started to get a bit dark, despite it only being five o'clock, the sun edging closer to the horizon behind the clouds. The rain had subsided though, so that was a plus.

They had been walking for about five minutes before Jack stopped abruptly.

"Jack?" Mark said as he stopped and turned around. "You ok?"

"Have I given you my mobile number?" Jack asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Um, n-no." Mark stuttered, slightly confused. "I don't think so, why?"

"Well do you want it? Saves chattin' on Facebook or whatever." Jack said as he pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans.

"Yeah. S-Sure." Mark smiled, still stammering a little as he stepped closer to Jack, taking his phone out of his jacket pocket.

The two boys shared phone numbers, and sent each other quick messages to make sure they were correct.

"I'm surprised I hadn't given it to you already." Jack said as he tucked his phone back into his jeans. "Just came to mind and thought I better check."

Mark smiled. "Yeah. Though I'm not sure if it'll work when I'm in Cincinnati. Guess we'll have to wait and see."

Jack shrugged as they started walking again. "Even if it doesn't. Still got the Internet. Get Felix to give me his number will ya, don't have his either.

"Sure." Mark nodded.

"Oo, wait, hold on." Jack said, more to himself, as he grabbed his phone and stopped walking again. "This has been a pretty awesome afternoon, and I forgot to do this earlier, so, selfie?" He smiled, looking up at Mark.

"Yeah all right." Mark chuckled.

Jack grinned and wrapped one arm around Mark's shoulders, leaning close as he held his phone out in front of them. He held the button down for a couple of seconds, taking several pictures, before stepping away, looking at his phone for a moment before returning his gaze back up at Mark, who could feel his cheeks burning again from Jack being so close.

The two teens started walking again. Hoping to be back home before the rain came back. They reached a junction after twenty minutes, and Jack needed to go one way whilst Mark needed to go another.

"We should do this again sometime, man, it was so much fun hangin' out with ya!" Jack grinned as they stood at the crossroads.

"Definitely." Mark smiled.

"Maybe Felix could join us too if he ain't busy. But honestly, I don't care if it's just the two of us. Most of the multiplayer games in that place are only two player anyway." Jack shrugged, hands in his pockets, still smiling. Mark was sure the Irishman's pale cheeks were a little more rosy than usual.

Mark chuckled. "Well I'm not gonna say no. You're good fun to be around." He started to question if that was the best thing to say almost instantly.

"Aw really?" Jack said, touching one hand to his chest as his smile grew cheeky. "Little ol' me? Daw, bless ya little cotton socks." He smiled, his accent seeming to grow thicker for a moment. "You're pretty great too, Mark. Glad I met ya." He chuckled, running his hand through his green hair.

Jack hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Mark's shoulders. Mark froze in shock for a moment before gently placing his hands on Jack's back. His cheeks flushing pink at how close Jack was to him.

"Thanks for a great afternoon." Jack said softly. His hair brushing against Mark's ear.

"It was your idea." Mark smiled, his voice quiet as Jack moved away.

"Yeah but it would have been pretty dull on my own." Jack shrugged. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he frowned as he quickly looked at the screen. "I better get going. Me Mam's startin' to wonder where I'm at." He said as he put his phone back.

"Yeah all right. See you tomorrow." Mark smiled.

"See ya tomorrow, mate." Jack grinned, heading off down the path towards his house, waving at Mark for a few seconds before turning away.

Mark then started walking home. Mind buzzing, cheeks still hot. It was just a hug, a completely innocent, totally platonic hug. So why couldn't he stop thinking about it..!

* * *

"How was your date?" Felix asked casually as Mark walked into the kitchen, putting his bag down on the table and shrugging his coat off, hanging it on of the coat hooks in the hallway. Their host mum, who was making dinner, gave Mark a funny look.

"It wasn't a date." Mark scowled as he came back into the kitchen. "We just went down to the arcade and played some games. That's it."

"Did you kiss?" Felix smirked.

"No!" Mark snapped, glaring at the Swede sat at the table. Their host mum giggled to herself before returning to what she was doing.

"I'm just kidding, bro, calm down." Felix chuckled. "You win anything?"

"Couple little toys." Mark said simply, taking said toys out of his bag and putting them down on the table. "There's actually quite a lot of stuff there. I mean, the prizes are shitty but the games are good fun."

"That's just how those places work though isn't it." Felix shrugged. "How many tickets did you get?"

"Nine hundred and something between us." Mark said as he sat down across from Felix. "Jack won the little dog on a claw machine though."

"Then why do you have it?"

"I stole it. No, he gave it to me."

"Aw cute." Felix smiled, a cheeky look in his eyes. "Maybe this isn't unrequited love."

Mark glared at him for a moment. "Stop it, Felix." He said dully. "Oh, and I don't appreciate your little stunt. We don't have any Math homework, you liar."

"Yeah but Jack didn't know that did he. I was doing you a favour, man, you could be grateful." Felix chuckled.

"Well it's not a favor I'm going to repay, as it's not one I asked for." Mark said as his phone buzzed in his pocket.

"You had fun, didn't you?" Felix asked, trying to peer at Mark's phone as he looked at it.

"Yeah." Said Mark. Smiling as he read the text he'd gotten from Jack, saying thank you again, followed by multiple smiley faces, and the picture they'd taken outside the arcade.

"Then why are you complaining? What are you smiling at?"

"Stop being nosy." Mark smirked, quickly replying to the text and tucking his phone back into his pocket. "Jack want's your cellphone number by the way, so go find him tomorrow or whatever."

"Yeah ok, sure. Hey, you wanna go play a game or somethin', bro? I'm bored as shit and got nothing better to do." Felix shrugged, finally taking the conversation in another direction.

"Yeah all right." Mark smiled, standing up and grabbing his things. The two boys headed upstairs to their room.

"Don't get too engrossed, dinner's in an hour!" Their host mum called after them.

"Ok!" They both said in unison as they walked up the stairs.

They lazed around playing games for an hour before being called down for dinner. Mark checked his phone whilst he was waiting, and upon opening Facebook, found that Jack had changed his profile picture to the selfie they'd taken earlier, making him smile like an idiot.

He really did like Jack, he was sweet and fun and hyper, always smiling, eyes shining. And, whilst he doubted it, maybe Felix was right, maybe the little Irishman did feel the same way.. Maybe..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a fair bit of spur of the moment research on Ohio and Irish weather for that first section, but I do apologise if I got it wrong. ^^;
> 
> Also, Felix's 'it's a different kind of cold' line came from a friend of mine, who's also Swedish, and was studying at my school (in England) last year. He said that the cold in England is different to the cold in Sweden, and because of that, he still felt it, even though he's more used to harsh temperatures. And I dunno, it just stuck with me and ended up here. So yeah, thanks to Theo for that.


	3. A Little Bit of Irish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this ended up longer than I intended it too, though it's not as long as the last chapter, but oh well. I'm pretty happy with what I ended up with. :)
> 
> I was gonna post this earlier but I felt kinda shitty this morning, so I left it, but it's up now so alls good ^^;

The months passed rather quickly. The winter was harsh, dry and bitter, as well as wet and windy, as Irish winters often were. But they managed despite the chilly temperatures. Stocking up on winter clothing and trudging through the crisp frost every morning. Or being blown halfway to the school by the sudden gales that swept down the streets.

Christmas had been fun, despite being so far from home. A lot of the exchange students had returned to their various places of origin that week, including Felix, who had gone back to Sweden. Mark had stayed though, not because he didn't want to go home for the holidays, but because his flights had been messed up, the scheduling was wrong, and then they were cancelled because of the weather, and he'd gotten so frustrated with it he eventually just decided to stay in Dublin.

He'd ended up spending most of Christmas Day with Jack, who'd invited him over to his house as soon as he'd learnt about the predicament. Over the few months that they'd known each other, they'd become good friends, and Mark was still smitten, so he'd accepted the offer, and had a fantastic time. It had been nice to meet Jack's family too, and learn that Jack wasn't alone in his madness, his brothers weren't much better.

School started back up in January, and everyone settled back into a routine. Battling the cold and rain and wind each day to get to class, and wishing summer would get here sooner.

Mark was stuck though, stuck on what to do about Jack. He really, _really_ , liked him. What had started as nothing more than a simple crush, had developed into something that Mark couldn't quite put a word too. He still had no idea about Jack's sexuality, which was part of the reason why he hadn't said anything too him. But he also hadn't said anything simply because he was scared too. He didn't want to loose his friendship with Jack, he loved spending time with the Irishman, and was incredibly glad that he'd met him. He didn't want to risk loosing that over something as silly as a crush.. Not that that stopped Felix, or any of his friends who had clued onto it for that matter, from teasing him about it whenever they had the opportunity.

One morning, Mark was sat in the sixth form common room, flicking through a textbook, he didn't have a lesson for over an hour, but had come in early to get some work done. It was the beginning of February, and the weather was still absolutely freezing, a thick layer of frost on the ground outside and mist in the air. The building was fairly warm, but the seemingly constant coming and going of students before the first bell rang had left a chill in the air. Mark had his jumper zipped all the way up and his scarf wrapped around his neck to compensate.

The common room was usually pretty quiet during lesson times. A handful of people scattered about having quiet conversation or working on something, but not much else. However, there was one student who would always shatter the bubble of silence everywhere he went.

Jack shoved the heavy door open, letting in a gust of cold air that ruffled the pages of Mark's book. The green-haired teen all but bounded over to where Mark was sitting, leaning over the table beside him.

"Hiya Mark!" He beamed, his face flushed from the cold but his eyes still glimmering. "It's so cold outside!" He added, rubbing his hands together, which were also tinted red.

"It is chilly isn't it." Mark smiled, closing his book. "When's it likely to warm up?"

"August if we're lucky." Jack said a as he put his bag down on the table and pulled up a chair. "July if Mother Nature's feelin' kind. And we might get three days of sun in May."

Mark chuckled. "And I thought it was bad in Cincinnati. You could be a bit more optimistic though, Jack, I came to Ireland in June when I was twelve and the weather was lovely."

"I've lived in Ireland all my life, Mark, not in Dublin mind you, Athlone's a bit more central, not right on the coast, but still in Ireland. I gave up bein' optimistic about the weather a long time ago." Said Jack, oddly serious for a moment before a grin appeared on his face again. "Why're we even talkin' about the fuckin' weather? Seriously man, what are we, old ladies?"

"Oh definitely." Mark said, making his voice squeaky and pushing his glasses down to the end of his nose and lifting his head to look through them. "And you best be on your best behaviour, young Seán." He added, lowering his head and peering at Jack over the frames of his glasses.

Jack sniggered for a few seconds before sitting up straight, holding his hands in his lap and smiling sweetly. "Beidh mé, Maimeó!" He grinned, his accent suddenly much thicker as what Mark assumed was Gaelic slipped easily from his mouth.

"What was that?" Mark laughed, pushing his glasses back up his nose, slightly confused by what he'd just heard. "Was that Irish?"

"Aye, sure was." Jack nodded. "Have I not done that around you before?" He added, tapping his chin absently.

"No! No you haven't! That's so cool!" Mark smiled, slightly baffled at how the thought of Jack speaking Irish had never crossed his mind. "What did you say?"

"'I will, Granny.' Well, there abouts. Gaelic's really different from English. And Maimeó is just somethin' Irish speakin' kids'd call their grandmothers. 's what I used to call one o' mine. She spoke a lotta Irish around me brothers and sisters and cousins n' shit, and y'pick stuff up pretty quick as a kid. Some of it stuck I guess." Jack shrugged, his accent still heavier than usual. "Did it never cross y'mind that the Irish guy might speak some Gaelic?"

"Apparently not. That's really cool though, Jack. I was not expecting that at all!" Mark chuckled, running his hand through his hair.

Jack leant back in his chair and laughed. "Fuckin' hell man."

They sat and chuckled to themselves for a couple of minutes before Jack sat up straight up again.

"Oo, you'll never guess who I saw Felix with when I was walkin' down 'ere." He grinned, leaning against the table.

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Marzia!"

"The Italian girl?"

"Yeah! They looked pretty chummy too. He's had the hots for her for months, not that I blame him, she's very pretty, still, 'bout time he did somethin' about it. Rather than just sittin around starin' at her." Jack smiled.

"Best of luck to him, I guess." Mark smiled, looking down at his book for a moment. What Jack had said had hit him in a funny way. It was almost as if Jack knew about his predicament and was trying to prompt him to say something. He shook it off though, it was probably just a coincidence. Probably..

They continued chatting for a while before Felix showed up, on his own but looking positively delighted.

"Speak of the devil." Jack smiled as Felix sat down opposite them. "Where've you been?"

Felix shrugged. "Around. Hey Jack, your birthday's on Saturday right, the seventh?" He asked.

Jack nodded happily. "Yup, sure is! Why, d'you forget?"

"No, just checking I've got the right day. I'm not good with birthdays." Felix smiled.

"And Jack's not good with keeping track of time." Said Mark as he checked his phone, noticing that second lesson, which he knew that Jack had, was about to start. "You're gonna be late for class, Jackaboy."

"Shit, what, no way is break over already! Fuck. Damn it." Jack rambled as he stood up and picked up his bag, shrugging it on and grabbing his hat off the table. "I best be off then, lads. See y'later!" He smiled, before dashing off with the rest of the students heading for class. Mark watched him leave, a smile on his face.

"You're still smitten." Said Felix, pulling a notebook out of his bag.

"Oh fuck off. You're planning something, aren't you?" Mark asked, glancing down at the notebook in the Swede's hands.

"Now whatever makes you say that?" Felix said slyly as he set the book down and started flicking through it.

"You're getting a notebook out without being prompted to. Plus you asked Jack when his birthday is when you know damn well that it's this Saturday." Mark said simply, leaning forward against the table.

Felix chuckled. "Ok, bro, you got me. I do have an idea. But I'll need your assistance. Since it involves you."

"Um. Oookaaay." Mark said slowly, slightly worried by what might be on Felix's mind.

"How about we take him out to dinner? Just the three of us. There's some nice places around this city, so 's not like there's no where decent." Felix said simply, looking back at Mark.

"Sounds nice enough. Though why just us three? Jack's got loads of friends." Mark replied, curious but fairly certain he already knew the answer, and he didn't like it.

"Well yeah. But it'll be easier with just the three. I mean, we could make it a double date, but I think that might make it a tad obvious, don't you think?" Felix smiled.

"God _damn it_ Felix. I _knew_ this'd be a ploy to get us together. It's not gonna happen, ok, he's a great guy, but _we're just friends!_ " Mark insisted, rather annoyed.

"Oh _come on_ Mark, I'm not blind, you fell head-over-heels for Jack on day one and you've been as subtle as a bull in a china shop about it ever since. How Jack hasn't noticed and pointed it out yet is a complete mystery!" Felix said quickly, looking mildly frustrated.

Mark sighed. "I know. I know. And I wish you'd shut up about it. Jack's a great guy, he really is, I'm glad to have him as a friend. But I don't want to risk loosing him. I don't want him to turn on me over something as stupid as a crush.."

"I don't think he will somehow." Felix said as he leant forward against the table.

"What makes you say that?" Mark asked.

"I don't think he's straight, Mark."

"That doesn't mean he's gay, Felix. He could be ace, somehow that wouldn't surprise me. He could be all manner of things. He might not want a long distance relationship, I'll be back in Cincinnati by the end of July. And even if he was into guys, that doesn't mean he's gonna be interested in me." Mark said simply. "I like him, I do. But I don't want to risk it." He added, shaking his head.

"Mark, you're a good-looking guy, I don't see why he'd say no. Just trust me, ok, nothing bad is going to happen." Felix smiled.

"Do you have to do it on his birthday?"

"That's how confident I am that it'll work."

Mark took a deep breath, bringing one hand up to his face and rubbing his eyes under his glasses. He loved the idea of being in a relationship with Jack, of course he did, but there was always that risk that he'd say no..

"Well?" Said Felix. Breaking Mark from his thoughts.

"Fine.." Mark muttered. "Fine." He repeated, louder this time as he looked back at Felix. "But if this backfires, I'm never speaking to you again."

Felix smiled innocently. "Don't worry, bro. It'll work. Just trust me." He pulled a pen out of his pocket as he finished, twirling it between his fingers. "I have a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's 'I should probably research that' moments consisted of; More weather research, making sure I'd gotten Jack's birthday right, making sure I'd spelt Marzia's name write, making sure I'd spelt Athlone right and seeing where it was in comparison to Dublin, finding out what 'yes granny' is in Irish, Just to discover that there is no word for 'yes' in Gaelic, which lead to looking for something similar. I think it's correct, but if any of you happen to know any Gaelic, and it's wrong, then I apologise ^^; Finding accurate translations is quite tricky.
> 
> Anyway! This was good fun to write, and I think I'm getting better at writing Jack's dialogue, so that's fun. I can't wait to write the next chapter, I think it's gonna be good! (And fluffy, it's gonna be fluffy :3 )


	4. Dinner Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some fluff, this chapter was so much fun to write :D I hope you enjoy it! ;3

Jack's birthday rolled around very quickly. And it wasn't long until that Saturday evening had arrived.

Mark and Felix left their house at about half past five in the afternoon, knowing it took about twenty minutes to get to Jack's house, and then another ten to get to the restaurant - well, restaurant may have been stretching it, Wetherspoons was very much a mildly fancy pub, but the food was good and that's all they really cared about - so they'd hopefully arrive in time for their reservation at six.

It was still freezing cold. The sky was clear and there was no wind, but the air was bitter, it was almost dark, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, it got considerably colder. Both Mark and Felix had their winter coats on as they walked to Jack's house, scarves wrapped around their necks to further aid in keeping them warm. They were both dressed in smart jeans and a nice shirt. Mark was wearing his lucky flannel, since luck was exactly what he felt he needed right now. And confidence. That would help too.

When they arrived at Jack's house, Mark knocked on the door, and within a few seconds it had opened and Jack was standing there, grinning from ear to ear, a blue badge on his jumper with 'Birthday Boy!' written on it in big white letters. He gave Mark a hug and bumped fists with Felix, grabbing his beanie and coat from the hangers by the door before heading out, shouting goodbye to his family as he closed the door. He put his coat on as they started walking, chatting as he went. Saying that he was excited would be an understatement.

They arrived at the restaurant on time, in fact, Jack had been walking so fast they'd gotten there early, and after talking to one of the staff, were shown to their table.

They all hung their coats and scarves on the backs of their chairs, though Jack kept his beanie on, his green hair poking out from beneath it. The colour was starting to fade though, it could do with redying, Mark thought. After a few minutes, Felix went off to get their drinks, leaving Mark and Jack alone.

"I like y'shirt, Mark." Jack smiled, looking across the table at the American sat opposite him.

Mark looked up from the menu in front of him and smiled, absently tugging at the sleeve of his shirt. "This old thing? I've had it for ages. 'S one of my favorites."

"Suits ya." Jack smiled. "Matches y'hair."

Mark chuckled. "Thanks." He smiled. "Yours could do with redying, it's starting to fade." He added, glancing up at the tuft of green hair sticking out from under Jack's beanie.

"Yeah I know." Jack frowned as he took his hat off and ruffled his hair. "Probably gonna get it done in a week or two. What about you, y'roots are startin' to show." He added, smiling again as he put his hat back on.

Mark shrugged, sweeping his fringe to the side. "I dunno. Might just leave it, I kinda like it as it. Looks kinda cool."

"It does. I still think y'should dye it bright pink again though." Jack chuckled. He'd found it highly amusing when he discovered that red was not the first colour Mark had dyed his hair, and that there had been several other colours prior to what he had now, including a bright pink.

"Yeah, pink sounds good, it'll match his face whenever he looks at you Jack, eh Mark." Felix said as he came back over, expertly carrying all three drinks at once, setting them all down on the table before dishing them out accordingly.

"Oh shut up." Mark grumbled, cheeks hot. Jack just giggled to himself, sipping his drink. Felix smirked as he sat back down next to Jack.

The trio quickly descended into aimless chatter again as they decided on what food to get. And once they'd decided, Mark insisted on going up to the bar to order, more to calm himself down than anything.

No more than fifteen minutes later, their food arrived, and it looked delicious, but that didn't stop them from chatting.

Jack quite casually stole chips from the others plates when they weren't looking, acting as if he'd done nothing even when he'd been caught. He continued pinching chips until Felix pointed out that he wouldn't have room for dessert if he kept on doing it. That stopped him. The portions were already pretty big so why he'd felt the need to steal chips was beyond them. They didn't really care, it didn't really surprise them, this being Jack and all, but it was quite funny to see the realisation hit him as he realised that he might not get pudding afterwards if he wasn't careful.

They soon finished their food, and a waiter came and took their empty plates and cutlery, asking if everything had been ok, and wishing Jack happy birthday upon seeing his badge. Which had made the little Irishman very happy, his sky-blue eyes sparkling.

They spent a few minutes looking at the dessert menu. Felix kept saying that Jack and Mark should get one of the big sundaes to share.

Both Felix and Mark had burst out laughing when they found 'Spotted Dick' on the menu.

"It's a fancy puddin' with currants in it or some shit." Jack had said. "It's a British thing with a stupid name. It is _not_ what y'both thinkin' about." He'd continued, cracking a smile as he'd finished. Both foreigners had continued laughing, sending the Irishman into fits of giggles with them. An elderly couple on a nearby table gave them an odd look.

In the end, none of them ordered the spotted dick. Jack did get a big bowl of ice-cream though, topped with chocolate syrup and a wafer biscuit. Mark and Felix both got hot chocolate fudge cake, with ice cream, of course.

"It sounds more appealing than spotted dick." Felix had said, still smiling.

Felix finished his before the other two. And decided that he was going to put his little plan into action right there and then.

"I'm just gonna go to the bathroom quick." He said simply, standing up.

"'K." Mark said, before he realised what the Swede was really doing, and his heart suddenly seemed to leap out of his chest.

Felix wandered off across the restaurant, leaving Jack and Mark alone again. After about a minute of silence, Jack spoke up.

"You've been kinda quiet all evening, Mark. You ok?" He asked before popping what was left of his wafer biscuit into his mouth.

Mark looked up from his food, a soft smile crossing his lips as he met Jack's bright eyes. "I'm fine. Just. I dunno. Thinking." He said slowly. "You've got such nice eyes.." He muttered, not noticing that he'd said it out loud until a glimmer of confusion and surprise appeared on Jack's face.

"You're not so bad y'self." The Irishman said, his cheeks turning rosy as his expression softened to a smile.

Mark merely stared for a few seconds, trying to speak though no words came, his heart racing in his chest and his face flushed pink. "I-I--Um.."

"Felix is a right bastard ain't he." Jack smiled, seemingly off topic.

"You have no idea.." Mark said quickly, though quietly, still finding it hard to speak. "At least you don't have to live with him."

Jack chuckled. "He's right though. You're not very subtle."

"I-- W-What--?" Mark stammered. "You--Know..?"

"Know what?" Jack smirked, a cheeky look in his eyes.

"Don't play games with me please my heart can't take it." Mark said quickly, leaning forward against the table on his elbows and running his hands through his red hair.

"I guess, yeah. Felix would point y'out to me at every opportunity. Thought he was just messin' at first. Then Danny and Arin started doin' it. Couple others too. Though it's mostly Felix." Jack shrugged. "You've probably noticed that though."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Mark asked, eyes still wide in bewilderment and confusion.

Jack's smile faltered and he looked down at his food, spinning his spoon around in his now almost empty bowl. "I may be a bit loud, and seem rather charismatic, and I guess I am. But when it comes t', t'stuff like that. I dunno where to start. I dunno what t'do. And I didn't think a cute guy like you would ever be interested in lil' ol' me.. I guess I kinda hoped it'd stop if I ignored it.. Or that I might get lucky and you'd might speak up first.."

Mark brought his hands down onto the table, still staring at Jack. "Jack I-" He stopped, clearing his throat before continuing. "I never said anything 'cos.. 'Cos I was scared too.."

"Scared?" Jack asked, looking back up at Mark.

"Yeah.. You're a really great guy. I didn't want to lose you to something so silly." Mark shrugged, looking away.

"'S not silly, Mark." Jack said softly, one hand creeping across the table and taking Mark's, very gently. "Surprisin', yeah. But not silly."

Mark swallowed hard and took a deep breath, his mind buzzing in fifty directions at once. He really wasn't quite sure what to do, or what to say.. He looked down at Jack's hand for a few seconds before meeting his gaze again.

"I.. I really like you, Jack.." Mark said slowly, the only thing that came to mind, wrapping his fingers around Jack's, his hand significantly bigger than the Irishman's.

"I like you too, Mark." Jack smiled. "Y'know. Dinners all paid for. Felix's off doin' whatever. You fancy comin' back to my place for a couple hours. Play some games or somethin'. Like, video games not-"

"I figured." Mark smiled. "And. Yeah. I'd love to."

Jack's face lit up, though not quite as dramatically as it usually would, more in surprise than anything. "Plus, we can talk, without bein' overheard." He added. Mark nodded.

The pair had finished their desserts by then, so they grabbed their things and headed out. Using the side door, as not to pass by where Felix was likely lurking up front. This whole thing had been his idea, he wouldn't mind if he found the other two missing when he got back.

Mark and Jack headed down the street towards Jack's house. It was dark and bitterly cold and the wind had picked up quite considerably. Jack put his glasses on as they left the building, as he always did when he went outside. Mark still thought he looked very cute with glasses.

They walked close together, hoping to battle the cold somewhat. Mostly silent, but constantly looking at the other when they thought they wouldn't notice. Mark couldn't quite believe that this was happening.

About halfway there. Jack brushed his hand against Mark's, and, tentatively, linked their fingers together. Mark looked down at the Irishman as he brushed his thumb against the back of Jack's hand, smiling softly as a gust of cold wind ruffled his hair. Jack smiled back, those bright blue eyes that Mark loved so much almost glowing under the moonlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff fluff fluff fluff :3   
> This chapter and what will be the next chapter were originally one chapter in my original plot planning stuff. But this got longer than I thought it would, so I split it in two. Next chapter is gonna be so very cute though, can't wait to start writing it!! :D


	5. Best Birthday Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit late, I've been mildly addicted to Stardew Valley over the last couple days, plus just being busy in general, haven't had much time to write. But, I managed to get this finished last night. This chapter was so much fun, I hope you enjoy it! :D

They arrived at Jack's house after about ten minutes. Jack had unlocked the door and let them in. The house was empty, nobody else was home, and it was very quiet. Jack had explained that his parents were working and that his brother that still lived at home was out with his friends, but it was still a bit eerie and Mark wasn't sure why.

They'd taken their coats and shoes off before going upstairs to Jack's room. They loaded up his PC and played some horror games, mostly because since no one else was home, no one could complain if they were noisy as a result, plus it allowed them to play with the volume all the way up without needing to worry about headphones.

Mark was sat on Jack's desk chair, the Irishman had decided to sit between the American's legs, Mark didn't really mind, if anything, he loved having Jack so close. Mark looked at the monitor over Jack's shoulder as they took turns controlling the character, making their way through dark buildings, haunted castles and other spooky locations. Jolting back at every jump-scare and swearing profusely when something started chasing them.

They went through several games over the course of about an hour, before Jack closed the game they'd just been playing and suggested they play something less terrifying. Mark didn't hesitate to agree to that. He loved horror games, but he also loved to sleep at night.

They switched the PC off and moved to Jack's bed. Jack set up his Play Station, having to stand on his bed to reach the shelf where it sat. Mark made himself comfortable at the other end of the bed, quickly checking his phone whilst he waited. He was half expecting to see loads of messages from Felix show up, asking him what he was up to, where he'd gone, but there weren't any, and he wasn't sure what to make of that.

Jack crouched down in front of him after a couple of minutes, handing him a controller and asking what he wanted to play. They then spent at least ten minutes going through the dozens and dozens of games that Jack had stacked up on his shelves.

Once they'd finally decided on a game to play, they sat down together at the top of the bed, the TV was mounted on the wall opposite, so it was a good place to sit whilst playing.

They snuggled together a little as they played, Jack resting his head on Mark's shoulder, Mark wrapping one arm around Jack. Chatting and laughing as they made their way through several different games, mostly silly party games and platformers, but it was all good fun and they soon lost track of time.

It wasn't until about ten o'clock, when Jack started yawning, that Mark realised that it was getting quite late.

"You getting tired, Jack?" Mark asked as a third yawn escaped the Irishman.

"Nah 'm fine." Jack said, rubbing his eyes. "Wha's the time?"

"Ten past ten. It is getting pretty late." Mark said as he looked at Jack's alarm clock, the bright green numbers glowing against the dim lighting in the room.

"I don' wan' y't'go yet though.." Jack said, murmuring a little, sitting upright and rubbing at his eyes again.

Mark smiled softly as he sat up. "Neither do I. But birthday boy's getting sleepy."

"'m fine." Jack smiled, though it was quickly followed by another yawn.

"You sure?"

"Alright, maybe I am a lil' tired. 'S been a busy day. But.. I don' want you t'go yet." Said Jack, shuffling closer to Mark and carefully taking his hands, leaning closer. "Please?"

Mark smiled down at the little Irishman staring up at him, blue eyes tired but still sparkling in the low-light, he found himself leaning forward too, almost involuntarily.

"It's not like.. I _want_ to go.." Mark said slowly, voice low.

"Then stay.. Just a bit longer.. Please.." Jack said quietly, barely above a whisper.

They were inches apart. Mark could feel Jack's warm breath against his skin, his heart was racing in his chest, his cheeks burning. They were so close. Did he dare do what he so desperately wanted to do..?

"Happy birthday, Jackaboy." Mark breathed as he closed the gap between them, gently pressing his lips against the Irishman's, just for a second. He watched Jack closely as he moved away, watched as a smile appeared on his face and he returned the kiss, holding them together a little longer this time. It was clumsy, but oh so sweet, oh so wonderful.

Mark watched as Jack's eyes fluttered open after they moved apart, still smiling, his pale cheeks rosy. "Best birthday ever." Jack whispered as his bright eyes met Mark's, slipping his arms around the American's shoulders and kissing him again, before nuzzling into his neck.

They were tiny things, small, quick kisses barely lasting more than a few seconds. But having Jack so close, being able to hold him and kiss him, just like he'd wanted to for so, so long, it sent Mark's heart aflutter and left a fuzzy warmth in his belly. It was a moment that he didn't want to forget any time soon.

Mark wrapped his arms around Jack's thin waist, breathing in his scent and ruffling his green hair with every breath.

They sunk back against the bed, games forgotten as they cuddled together. Jack rested his head on Mark's chest, one arm draped across him. Mark kept his arms around Jack, holding him close and not quite able to take his eyes off of him. There was no way that this could be happening, but it was, and it was amazing.

"Sooo," Mark started, his voice quiet, "Jack, would you do me, the absolute honour, of being my boyfriend?" He asked, heart pounding as the last word slid remarkably easily from his mouth.

Jack smiled, "Do you even need to ask?" he said, looking up to meet the red-haired teen's brown eyes, finding Mark's hands and wrapping his fingers around them. Mark smiled and kissed the top of Jack's head as he settled again.

After only a few minutes, Mark felt Jack's breathing level out, heard quiet snores escaping his throat. _He's asleep_ , he thought. He could leave, part of him felt as if he should, but he didn't want to risk waking Jack. The little Irishman looked so peaceful, so content, snoozing comfortably, there was no point in waking him. Mark didn't really want to get into trouble either, but he hoped nobody would be angry. It wasn't like anything had happened. They'd just played games and kissed a few times.

So he stayed where he was, holding Jack tightly as he slept. And as he let his eyes drift closed, he too quickly dozed off into a deep sleep.

* * *

No more than half an hour after the boys had fallen asleep, the front door opened, and a woman came into the house.

Mrs McLoughlin stayed quiet as she locked the door and took off her coat. Expecting to hear her youngest son's games loud and clear even from downstairs. It wouldn't be a first. But it was silent. Oddly so.

She walked upstairs, careful not to make too much noise, "Seán?" she called gently, thinking that perhaps he'd gone to bed early, it had been a busy day, even for him.

She came to her youngest's bedroom, light shining beneath the door, and carefully pushed the door open just enough to poke her head through. She didn't quite expect what she saw.

Jack was there, and he was asleep, but Mark was there too, also asleep, and they were snuggled together on top of the covers - both fully clothed, she noted in her mind - fast asleep, the TV still on and casting a bright light across them.

She smiled softly to herself. She liked Mark, he was a nice boy, and she knew that Jack liked him too, though on a completely different scale. Somehow this didn't surprise her all that much.

She quietly walked into the room, carefully taking Mark's glasses off of his face, knowing full well that sleeping with glasses on was rarely a pleasant experience, setting them down gently by Jack's alarm clock. She stepped softly across the small room to switch the TV off, having to stand on her tiptoes to reach the buttons on the top, thankfully she knew which one to press by touch alone. The light the screen was casting across the room disappeared in an instant, but the boys didn't stir.

She crept back towards the door, looking at the two sleeping boys for a few seconds more before leaving the room and gently closing the door behind her. Her little boy wasn't so little any more, she thought to herself as he went back downstairs.


	6. Truly Together

Mark woke the next morning to his phone buzzing on the bedside table. It took him a moment for him to realise where he was, for him to remember what had happened last night.

He smiled softly as the memories flooded back, looking down to see Jack still snuggled against him. Sleeping soundly.

Mark looked across at where his phone was sitting on the bedside table, squinting slightly to try to clear his vision as he looked at the time, though without glasses he had little hope of being able to make it out.

He slowly reached for his phone, which was still buzzing away, careful not to disturb the snoozing Irishman. Mark read the name on the screen to see who was calling before he answered, holding his phone to his ear.

"Felix?" He said groggily.

" _Mark!_ " Felix practically yelled, causing Mark to jerk his phone away from his ear.

"Please don't yell.." He muttered. "What do you want, Jack's still asleep.."

" _So you two_ are _together! Fucking knew it! I mean, I kind of figured since you never came home last night, but yes, my plan fuckin' worked, man!_ " Felix said happily, Mark could almost hear him grinning, his voice still way too loud.

"Mmm. Why are you calling?" Mark asked, looking down at Jack as he felt him stir.

" _Wake up call. It's almost eleven o'clock, Mark._ "

"Is it? Couldn't tell. Eyes are shit." Mark muttered before breaking into a yawn.

" _How late did you stay up last night?_ " Felix asked, a slight bounce in his voice.

"I dunno. Half past ten? Somethin' like that.." Mark said, voice still quiet.

"Who y'talkin' to?" Came Jack's tired, muffled voice, blue eyes flickering open and looking up at Mark.

"Felix.." Mark muttered, looking down at Jack.

"Fuck off Felix." Jack grumbled, making himself comfortable again. Mark smiled.

" _What did he say?_ " Said Felix, his voice at a much more acceptable level now.

"Fuck off Felix." Mark said simply, a smile tugging at his lips. Jack sniggered.

" _Heey, not cool, bro._ " Felix said. " _Rude.._ "

Mark smirked. "Could you maybe give us a chance to wake up?"

" _And put your clothes back on?_ " Felix snickered. Mark frowned, and it was almost as if the Swede could see it. " _I'm kidding! I'm kidding. Hah.. Yeah I'll call ya back in a bit. See ya later, bro._ " He said quickly before promptly hanging up. Mark sighed and put his phone back on the table, laying his head back against the pillow. They both stayed silent for a few seconds before they started giggling to themselves.

* * *

They stayed in bed for a little while longer before finally deciding to get up. Though mostly just because they were both getting hungry.

Jack pulled some clean clothes from his wardrobe and went into the bathroom across the hall to get changed, leaving Mark to call Felix again, now that he wasn't half asleep.

Once he was dressed, Jack dumped the clothes he'd slept in onto his bed, gave Mark a quick kiss on the cheek, and then went downstairs. Worried that his parents would be angry about Mark sleeping over, but knowing he'd have to face them sometime.

He poked his head into the kitchen, and saw his mother and father sitting at the dining table, talking about something. Jack stepped into the room, the tiles cold against his bare feet.

"Mornin'." He smiled as he crossed over to the table.

"Morning, Seán. Well, it's almost afternoon." Mrs McLoughlin smiled as she looked up at her youngest son. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. Yeah I did." Jack said, fidgeting a little where he stood. "Um.. I'm sorry.." He added, looking down at his hands.

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" Said Mr McLoughlin, tilting his head slightly at his son.

"About.. About Mark... Sleepin' over.. It just, kinda happened. I didn't think he'd be here when y'got back, only thought he'd be here a couple hours.. That's why I didn't tell ya.. Sorry.." Jack said slowly, struggling to get his words out.

"You don't need to be sorry, sweetheart. We're not angry at you." Mrs McLoughlin said softly.

"You're, not?" Said Jack, looking back up at his mother.

She shook her head and smiled. "No of course not."

"You like Mark, don't you, son." Mr McLoughlin said before sipping his coffee.

Jack smiled gently, glancing at his father. "Yeah." He nodded. "He's.. He's really great.."

"He is a nice lad isn't he." Mrs McLoughlin smiled. "So, are you twooo, 'together'? Or did you just end up snuggled up like that by chance last night?" She chuckled lightly.

Jack felt his cheeks grow hot as he absently scratched at the back of his head. "Um.. Y-yeah. Yeah we are. I'm still tryin' to get m'head 'round it. If I'm honest." He smiled, stuttering a little.

"My little boy's growin' up so fast." Mrs McLoughlin smiled fondly. "But that's just it. You're not a child anymore, Seán, you're almost grown. I still can't quite believe it. Time goes by so quickly." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Just as long as you're both sensible and mature, and you look after each other, then we trust you to be responsible. We're not angry at you. Perhaps a little surprised. But not angry." She continued, still smiling.

"Thank you." Jack smiled.

Mr McLoughlin chuckled. "However, if Mark does happen to come over again, we wouldn't mind being informed first. Comin' home and finding an extra person in the house isn't really something we'd like to make a regular occurrence. All right?"

Jack nodded, smiling nervously. "Aye, o'course. Sorry 'bout that."

"It's fine, hon." Mrs McLoughlin smiled. "Where is Mark anyway?" She asked.

"He's talkin' t'Felix. Bastard tried callin' twenty minutes ago and woke us up." Jack shrugged.

Mrs McLoughlin chuckled. "Ah, ok then." She stood up, taking the two empty mugs from the table and putting them in the sink. "Do you want anything to eat, Seán?" She asked, looking her shoulder.

"Yeah, that'd be great." Jack smiled, his stomach grumbling.

Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. And a few seconds later, a red-haired teen appeared in the doorway, looking a little worried and slightly annoyed. The latter was likely because of Felix.

"Uh, morning everyone." He smiled nervously, relaxing a little as Jack stepped closer to him.

"Mornin', lad." Said Mr McLoughlin as he looked at Mark.

"Might as well be he saying good afternoon." Mrs McLoughlin smiled as she turned around and leant against the kitchen counter. "You wouldn't happen to be hungry would you, Mark?" She asked.

Mark smiling. "Starving."

"You're always hungry, y'big doof." Jack smirked.

"You're small, Jack, you wouldn't understand." Mark chuckled, planting a quick kiss on Jack's forehead without a second thought. Mrs McLoughlin giggled quietly to herself at the sight.

"What do you boys want to eat then?" She smiled as the two teens sat down at the table, Jack taking Mark's hand and linking their fingers together.

It was a bit late for breakfast. But they both still ended up with toast and cereal.

* * *

After they'd eaten they'd gone back upstairs, sitting on Jack's bed and chatting for a while. Eventually though, Mark said that he should probably be heading home. Jack insisted on walking with him, mostly so that he could spend another twenty minutes with Mark.

This being Ireland in February, it was raining, not heavily, but still enough for it to be annoying. The pair walked down the road, hand in hand, sharing an umbrella.

Mark still couldn't quite believe that this was _real_. That this was happening. That Jack was his boyfriend. It felt like a dream, a wonderful amazing dream that he was sure to wake from at any second.

Felix was waiting for them. Sitting in the living room, close to the window so he could see the driveway. And as soon as he saw Mark and Jack round the corner, all of his attention moved from his phone to his two friends outside.

He watched for a moment as the pair stood at the bottom of the driveway. Talking about something, holding hands, they kissed as they spoke, and Felix's face lit up.

"Yes!" He beamed, jumping to his feet, almost knocking his shins on the coffee table as he did so, before running towards the front door.

He opened the door but stayed stood in the doorway, not really wanting to go out in the rain without shoes on. Mark and Jack glanced at the Swede as they saw him come out, both waiting for him to say something, though for once, he stayed quite, merely watching.

Jack and Mark finished talking, hugged, kissed and said their goodbyes, before Jack headed back down the road the way he came, taking the umbrella with him. Mark jogged over to where Felix was standing, and the two retreated inside and out of the rain.

"I knew you had it in ya, bro!" Felix grinned, patting Mark on the back. "See, I told you nothin' would go wrong." He added, smirking slightly.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Felix." Mark chuckled. "Though both Jack and I agree that you're a complete and utter bastard." He added, his own smile turning cheeky.

"Worked didn't it?" Felix shrugged.

Mark just smiled to himself as he went upstairs to get changed.

* * *

Monday rolled around quickly. And Mark and Jack were near inseparable throughout their time at school. The news quickly spread, and everyone in the Sixth Form seemed to know by lunch time, and they were bombarded by well wishes, "I knew it'd happen someday"s and a big bear hug courtesy of Ken.

"I knew it! I knew you two had a thing, I fuckin' knew it!" Danny had proclaimed at the top of his lungs when the new couple had entered his line of sight in the Common Room that morning. Standing on his chair and promptly toppling it over onto its side as he lost his balance, landing in a laughing pile on the floor. One of the teachers who was sat nearby tried to ask if the frizzy-haired American was ok, but Danny just kept laughing.

Once Danny had picked himself up and everything had quietened down again. Mark and Jack had sat down on one of the sofas in the corner of the room, by the window.

Jack was leaning back against Mark, his feet up on the chair, he'd brought his DS into school with him, as he often did when he had free lessons, and was playing a game with his headphones on. Mark had one arm wrapped around Jack, watching him play for a bit before absently playing games on his phone instead.

This still didn't feel real. Mark was starting to wonder when it'd all hit him. Or when he would wake from this amazing dream. It would be one or the other. Preferably the former. Though this strange euphoric daze was nice too.

Now, every time he looked at Jack, he saw something more than just the hyper, friendly but loud Irish teen with bright green hair that he'd seen since the day they met. He saw a sweet, gentle young man with soft lips and warm hugs by the dozens. A young man who loved him. Who _really_ loved him. It wasn't just his imagination playing tricks on him. It was real. This was his life now, Jack was his boyfriend. He never thought it'd happen. But yet, there he was, with his arm around the one he loved. And he couldn't quite believe it.

Mark smiled to himself as he set his phone down on the arm of the chair. Shifting in his seat a little before wrapping his other arm around Jack, propping his head up on top of the Irishman's. Knocking his headphones as he did so.

Jack paused his game and leant his head back, smiling up at Mark.

"What d'you want?" He asked quietly, pulling his headphones away from his ears.

"I love you." Mark smiled, kissing Jack's forehead.

Jack chuckled, reaching one hand up and playing with Mark's red hair. "Love you too, y'doof."

"Oi! Keep it PG13 over there!" Arin yelled across the room, sending both Mark and Jack into fits of giggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the end guys! I know it might kinda seem like it, but I have more planned. There's at least one more chapter after this, and I'll probably write more once I figure out what. (I have some ideas floating about). Though this is the main bit done I guess :P
> 
> This has been so much fun to write though! And thank you all so much for the support!! I can't quite believe how many people have enjoyed reading this random little fic xP


	7. Across the Pond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack has shown Mark all there is to see of Dublin. But now it's Mark's turn to show Jack his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back to this little fic thing. Sorry about the wait guys, I had this finished for like, three days, but forgot that it was finished, and then I went back it to it and was like 'Oh no that is finished I better upload it', and that was the other day, so yeah, woops. But oh well! It's here now! Chapter summary 'cos I can and 'cos it sets up this next section nicely.
> 
> Also, this is the longest chapter yet! Nearly 4000 words!! :D

Mark wandered down the stairs towards the kitchen, in search of his phone, which he'd left in his bag. He was at Jack's house, and the couple were playing games on the Irishman's PC. Mostly just stupid stuff and messing around, but it was good fun none the less.

Mark had gone to look up how to finish the level they were stuck on on his phone, just to realise that he'd left it in his bag. He was also waiting for a very particular message from his mom, or from his brother, whoever it was that decided to tell him. So it gave him an excuse to check to see if it had been sent yet.

It was March now and Easter was drawing near, the weather was gradually getting warmer but it was still chilly and wet at the best of times. But there were only a couple more weeks of term left before the holidays started. Then they'd have two weeks off. Mark was looking forward to this, for several reasons.

When Mark walked into the kitchen, he saw Mrs McLoughlin cutting vegetables at the counter. She smiled at him as he walked in, and he smiled back as he started rummaging through his bag, which was sitting on the kitchen table. He pulled out his phone and, sure enough, the message he'd been hoping for was sitting there waiting for him. He grinned to himself as he looked up at Jack's mother again.

"Mrs McLoughlin?" He said, a little quicker than perhaps he'd have liked to.

"Yes, Mark?" She said, pausing what she was doing to look at the American.

"I was wondering, see, over Easter, I'm going back to Cincinnati for about ten days to see my family." Mark started, walking around the table and approaching the Irish lady. "And, well, I was just wondering if, if it'd be ok, for Jack to come too? Both my mom and my brother would love to meet him and I'd love to show him my home town. I know flights are expensive but it'd be really great to have him come along. If he wants to. And if it's ok with you, and his dad." He finished with a smile, stopping himself from rambling anymore than he already had.

Mrs McLoughlin considered him for a moment before she replied. "Cincinnati." She said. "That's in Ohio? Right? I think that's what Seán said. Where exactly is it?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah. Ohio's a fairly eastern state. And Cincinnati is in the south of Ohio. So.. Yeah.. It's a long way away but it would be pretty great to have Jack there."

She smiled. "America in general is a long way away, hon. But. If Seán wants to go. Then I'm sure we can pull the funds together. Something tells me that he'd love to go to America, especially with you, Mark."

"So, that's a yes?" Mark said, a little baffled by how easy it had been.

"Yes. Yes it is." She nodded. "Go talk to him." She added, gesturing towards the stairs with her head.

Mark grinned, "Thank you!" before turning on his heel and walking quickly back upstairs.

He found Jack leaning back in his chair, the game over splash screen on his monitor. He looked over at Mark as he came back into the room.

"Can't beat this fuckin' level.." Jack grumbled. "What took y'so long?" He asked, sitting upright. "What're y'grinnin' at?"

"Jack. I have a question for you." Mark smiled as he stood in front of his boyfriend, feeling oddly giddy and light on his feet.

"Oh?" Jack said as he tilted his head slightly.

"Would you like to come to Cincinnati with me over the Easter break?" Mark beamed.

Jack stared for a few seconds, as if he were having trouble processing what had been said. "Wait, seriously?" He eventually said. Voice quiet all of a sudden.

"Yeah! I asked my mom if it'd be ok and she said yes. I just asked your mom and she's cool with it. So. Do you wanna come?" Mark said quickly, still grinning, though a nagging worry had appeared at the back of his mind, what if Jack said no? They hadn't been together that long..

A smile appeared on Jack's face and he laughed. "Holy shit!" He grinned as he jumped to his feet. "O'course I do! I've always wanted t'go t'America. What better way t'go about it!" He slipped his arms around Mark's shoulders as he spoke, voice loud again and bouncing all over the place.

Mark chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, pulling him closer. "I wasn't sure if you'd want to since we haven't been together all that long, but I know you'll love it! There's lotsa stuff to do in Cincinnati, and it'll just be great having you there and showing you round. And-" Jack shut him up by pressing their lips together, taking Mark by surprise, though he quickly melted into it.

When they separated, Jack chuckled. "Oh like that'd stop me, I love you, America sounds _awesome_! I'm excited all ready man, it's gonna be amazing!"

"It's gonna be absolutely amazing!" Mark smiled before kissing Jack again.

* * *

The next few weeks passed far too slowly, but, soon enough, Mark and Felix were picking Jack up from his house so that their host mum could drive the trio to the airport. Jack was bubbling with energy, but there seemed to be something nagging at him, and Mark couldn't figure out what.

Once they'd gotten to Dublin airport, they went into Terminal 2 to get something to eat together, chatting and trying to calm a still overly excited Jack. After they'd eaten, Felix went off on his own to Terminal 1, as that's where the European airlines flew from. Mark and Jack stayed in Terminal 2, as that's where their plane would fly from.

After the incredibly long and dull security checks, they spent a few hours looking around the shops before heading up to their gate. Moving through the crowds with their arms linked as to not get separated from each other.

They had to sit around in the departure lounge for a while, but eventually they were allowed on the plane. Jack seemed excited at first, but once they'd gotten on board and stared moving down the cabin towards their seats, he seemed to calm down very suddenly, and whatever it was that had been nagging at his mind seemed to become more present.

"You want the window seat?" Mark asked as they found their seats.

"No!" Jack said, a little too quickly. "No. No, 's ok. You take it." He forced a smile and tried to act natural, but Mark knew something was wrong.

"You alright, Jack?" Mark asked as he took his headphones out of his bag and shoved it into the overhead locker, before sitting down in his seat.

"Yeah." Jack smiled, as he sat down in the seat to the left of Mark, he looked nervous. "I'm fine I just.. Haven't really flown before, that's all."

Mark chuckled and wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders. "You'll be alright. It's an eight hour flight so you'll probably sleep for most of it. We'll be there before you know it."

Jack sighed softly, leaning against Mark. "Yeah, you're probably right." He said quietly, but there was worry in his voice. Mark kissed the top of Jack's head before leaning back in his chair and looking out the tiny window. They were still on the ground. But hopefully it wouldn't be too long before they left.

They were waiting for another few minutes as all the passengers boarded, before the pilot started talking over the intercom, the stewards went through the safety announcement, and the engines started to roar into life.

Jack was sitting back in his chair, focusing on his phone, though Mark could see that he was still worried.

Jack closed his eyes and held Mark's hand tightly as the plane sped down the runway and lifted into the air. Their journey across the Atlantic had begun. Though Jack didn't open his eyes again until the seat belt light vanished with a ding, and a voice over the intercom informed passengers that they could move around the cabin. Jack seemed even more on edge than he had done before, fiddling with the bracelets around his wrists and staring down at his feet.

"Jack?" Mark said gently, pulling the Irishman out of his thoughts. "Are you ok?"

"I.. Yeah.. Just.. Kinda scared.. I guess.." Jack said slowly, glancing up at Mark several times as he spoke.

"Scared? What of?" Mark asked, voice soft.

Jack hesitated before he spoke, looking up at Mark fully and meeting the American's dark eyes. "Mark I'm.. M'scared o'heights.." Jack said quietly, looking away from Mark again. Mark tilted his head slightly and blinked, he didn't get a chance to speak before Jack spoke again. "I know it's childish but.. But yeah.. That's why m'nervous.."

There was silence between them for a few seconds before Mark leant forward and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "You should have told me." He said quietly, his voice loud in Jack's ear.

Jack nuzzled into Mark's shoulder and held him tightly. "I know." He said, his voice muffled by Mark's hoodie. "But if I'd said you wouldn't have let me come with you.. And I really want to come with you."

"Don't be silly. I'd still let you come. Of course I would. It's just that I could have supported you from the get-go if I'd known. Idiot." Mark smiled as he moved back a bit, meeting Jack's blue eyes, which weren't as bright as usual, but happier than they had been.

Jack smiled, and it was more genuine this time. "Guess it's my turn to be an idiot, huh."

"Sure is." Mark chuckled. "I can't provide all the stupid in this relationship y'know."

Jack chuckled, but didn't speak, nuzzling back into the crook of Mark's neck as he tightened his grip around him, Mark held the smaller teen close and they stayed as they were for a few minutes.

"How about you get some sleep." Mark smiled as they separated. "I know it's only like, just gone ten o'clock in the morning, but it's a long flight and if you sleep it'll be over quicker."

Jack smiled softly. "Yeah ok. The sooner I'm in America the better, 'onestly. But only if I can use you as a pillow. You make a good pillow."

Mark chuckled as he leant back in his chair and let Jack make himself comfortable leaning against him, head on his shoulder, slipping his shoes off and tucking his feet underneath himself. He pushed the armrest between them up to give them a bit more space. And before long he'd settled down comfortably, snuggled against Mark, holding his hands.

Mark slipped his headphones on and played some games on his phone for a while, it wasn't long before Jack dozed off. He watched a couple of movies, Jack not stirring once throughout. Mark listened to music for a while before falling asleep himself.

Jack woke about five hours into the flight, and upon seeing that Mark was asleep, he very carefully got up, not wanting to disturb him, and wandered down to the toilets. When he came back, he made sure not to wake the snoozing American, he saw no reason to wake him.

He was feeling a bit hungry, but there were no signs of a steward coming down the aisle with a food trolley right now, so he shrugged it off and cuddled against his boyfriend again. It wouldn't be long before they arrived in Cincinnati. He was tempted to reach across and open the little shutter on the window, to look down at he world below, just for a moment, but eventually decided against it. Maybe on the way back.

Jack eventually dozed off again. And the next thing he knew, he was being woken by Mark as the plane was getting ready to land.

* * *

They made their way through security, collected their suitcases, and got mildly lost for a moment, before finding their way out of the arrival lounge.

Jack had thought that Dublin's airport was big and busy. But Cincinnati's was huge, ridiculously crowded and very noisy. He held Mark's hand tightly as they walked, not wanting to get separated. Every time he looked out a window he had to remind himself that he wasn't in Ireland anymore. It was an incredibly bizarre feeling. Despite it being March, it was quite sunny outside, warm too judging by what people were wearing, whilst back in Dublin the weather had been pretty dismal, coat and scarf weather, not shorts and t-shirt weather like it was here. Mark had said that Ohio weather was prone to a similar level of unpredictability as Irish weather though, so whether or not it would stay sunny and warm was another matter entirely. 

Mark knew roughly where his mom and brother would be meeting them, and had to guide Jack through the crowds as they made their way, he'd come through here several times over the years but didn't know his way around anywhere near as much as he'd of liked.

Eventually they managed to locate Mark's family. And the two teens were greeted with excited grins and open arms.

Mrs Fischbach fussed over her youngest, asking how his time in Ireland had been, how their flight had been, among other things. Almost as if she hadn't spoken to her son in months.

Jack stood to the side, suddenly feeling nervous. He wasn't sure why, he'd spoken to both Mark's mother and his older brother a couple of times before over video chat with Mark, though admittedly that had only been briefly, and over the Internet.

"You don't need to look so scared, mate." Mark's brother, Tom, smiled as he looked over at the Irishman. "We don't bite." He grinned as he stepped closer.

Jack smiled nervously, pushing his glasses up his nose as he met Tom's gaze, he'd never realised how similar he and Mark were before.. "I know. I've just never been so far from home before. I'll be alright."

"It is a pretty long trip. Still, nice to finally meet the guy who stole my little brothers heart." Tom smiled as he held out a hand. Jack hesitated for a moment, but after a couple of seconds he happily shook it. Smiling a bit more confidently now.

"I wouldn't say I stole 'is heart. More, flipped 'im head over heels for a couple months." Jack chuckled.

"I heard that." Said Mark, turning away from his mother. Jack giggled and tucked his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"It's so good to finally meet you." Mrs Fischbach smiled as she approached Jack, arms wide, having finally let her son go. She gave Jack a quick hug, which he graciously returned, before stepping back and studying him for a few seconds. "I thought you'd be taller." She mused. "But aside from that, you seem like a very nice young man, I look forward to getting to know you over the next few days." She said happily, meeting Jack's bright blue eyes.

"Aye, I'm excited to be here. Mark wouldn't shut up about it." Jack smirked, looking at Mark, who crossed his arms across his chest and pouted at his boyfriend, making Jack laugh.

It was just past noon in Ohio, so the group went and got something to eat at the airport before heading out to the car park and driving home.

Mark and Jack sat in the back seats, with Mrs Fischbach driving and Tom sitting in the passenger seat. The two teens were bombarded with questions during the trip, but they answered as many as they could, or that they felt should be answered. Though Jack kept getting distracted by the scenery as they drove, admiring the new city they were passing through. It was so big, so modern, it made Dublin look tiny, and his hometown of Athlone look positively minuscule.

Though when he mentioned it Tom pointed out that Dublin's population was actually bigger than Cincinnati's, quite considerably so, despite the American city being a fair bit bigger. He didn't bother to ask how Tom knew that, though it did explain why Dublin always seemed to be so _damn busy_.

Jack was given the _'look after my brother'_ line from Tom, to which the Irishman just smiled and nodded, saying that he would. Mark then interjected that Jack had four older siblings, and as such he had received that same line four times, not once - though in truth he'd only seen two of Jack's siblings since they'd starting dating. Making Tom laugh.

"Five children.." Mrs Fischbach had said to herself as they stopped at some traffic lights. "How does your mother manage?"

Jack just shrugged. "With great difficultly." He smiled. "Though it helps that only two of us live at home nowadays."

* * *

They eventually made it to the Fischbach house. And as they parked, Jack had a good look at the place he'd be staying for the next ten days, and the place that Mark called home. It didn't seem that different to his house back in Dublin, though it was noticeably bigger.

Upon stepping through the front door, Jack was greeted by the families dogs, wagging their tails and sniffing at the new person to enter their house. Tom had tried to keep them in the kitchen but had apparently failed miserably.

Mark dropped down onto his knees and gave both dogs big hugs, clearly thrilled to see them again, just as they were excited to see him. The larger of the two, a big white retriever, jumped up and put her paws on Mark's shoulders, licking at his face as he laughed and ruffled her fur. Whilst the smaller dog, a Daschund, sniffed at Jack's feet and pawed at Mark's legs, seemingly unable to choose which teen to greet first.

Jack gave both dogs a pat on the head as Mark introduced them properly. The big white one was named Lucy, whilst the Daschund was named Maggie. Jack recognised the names, Mark must have mentioned them before.

Once the dogs had dispersed and all the luggage had been brought into the house. Mrs Fischbach took the two boys aside to talk to them.

She said, among other things, that she was happy for them to both stay in Mark's room, just as long as they were _sensible_ and _behaved_. They both nodded and agreed. They weren't exactly planning anything that she might consider to be them _'misbehaving'._

Mark gave Jack a quick tour of the house. Making sure he knew where everything was. Though leaving his bedroom 'till last.

The room was small, - though still bigger than Jack's room back in Dublin - but cozy. A big double bed took up most of the space on one side of the room, with a gaming PC set up beside it, decked out with two monitors and a plethora of consoles, controllers and games on the desk and shelves around it. And Jack thought his setup was good.

They sat on the bed and talked for a while. About the things they could do in Cincinnati, about the places Mark wanted to show Jack, about the things Mark knew that his mom had already planned. While they were talking, Jack very quickly texted his mum, telling her that they'd arrived at Mark's house in Cincinnati and that everything was fine.

Eventually the two boys decided to play some games. Loading up Mark's PC and settling in his desk chair. They were both tired despite having slept for most of the flight, and couldn't really be bothered to do anything else. So they made their way through several games of various genres. Including a few horror games, since those were fun, if not terrifying when something jumped out at them or started chasing them down a long corridor.

They stayed on the PC for a couple of hours. Before deciding to move to their handhelds. Digging their DS's out of their suitcases, which were now sitting on the floor by Mark's wardrobe, and laying back on the bed as they chose what game to play. Eventually deciding on a Zelda game, since the co-op was pretty good fun.

They played through several levels of that game before Tom poked his head in, asking what they wanted for dinner so that Mrs Fischbach could get started on making it. Once Tom had left, Mark looked up at the clock on his wall.

"What time do you think it is in Sweden?" He asked casually, not entirely sure where he was going with it.

Jack shrugged as he looked at his watch, which he hadn't changed to Eastern Standard Time yet. "Well, it's about ten o'clock at night back in Dublin. How far ahead is Sweden from Ireland?" He said as he looked back at Mark.

"I dunno. An hour? So it's pretty late." Mark said simply, before a cheeky smile appeared on his face. "We should message him. Let him know we got here ok."

"He's probably asleep." Jack said. "Or do you just wanna be a dick?" He added, with a smile.

"What do _you_ think?" Mark grinned.

"Go on then. Text 'im. But I bet ya he'll then call us at what is a reasonable time to him, but is stupidly early here in Cincinnati. If he's, what, six hours ahead? Wouldn't be hard, or surprisin'." Jack smiled.

"I'm gonna text him." Mark smirked as he took his phone out of his pocket.

And that's precisely what he did. Just to receive a grumpy ' _fuck off I'm sleeping!_ ' from Felix ten minutes later. Which made them both giggle, even though they knew it was now highly likely they'd be woken at four in morning by Felix tomorrow.

They laid back on the bed and laughed to themselves for a few minutes. Jack rolled onto his side, nuzzling into Mark's neck.

"I still can't believe I'm in fuckin' _America_ , man." Jack smiled, his voice quiet but still loud in Mark's ear. "Seriously, me in America, and with you too! What were the chances o'that happenin'?!"

Mark chuckled. "I can't believe that you're here with me. Fuck, I still can't believe that you're my _boyfriend_ yet alone anything else." He rolled onto his side too so that they were facing each other, staring into Jack's ocean blue eyes, he could let lost in those eyes if he were given the chance.

Jack kissed him gently and giggled as he moved away. "I don't blame ya. I am pretty awesome." He smirked. Mark smiled and ran his fingers along the Irishman's jaw, kissing him and holding them together a bit longer this time. He couldn't exactly disagree with that statement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wouldn't say that this is the start of a new story arc as such, but there will be at least two maybe three more chapters with them in America, going to different places and stuff. So that'll be fun to write once I've got it all sorted out. Gonna have to do some hardcore research sessions on places to go in and around Cincinnati xP


End file.
